A Snowflake's Lasting Caress
by ItzySmiles
Summary: He couldn't believe it. Just like that; in an instant, she was gone. He could still feel the sensation her touch'd left him. As if she were still there, beside him. As if she wasn't dead. All he wanted was to be able to caress her one last time. HibarixOC
1. Aunt Maia

**Chapter One**

_An Unexpected Farewell_

_. . ._

You know, this morning had started out completely normal. I woke up at eight in the morning, left a note for my brother, took my Kung Fu lessons with sensei, and came back only to find... this.

_"We regret to inform you that, due to your recent lack of payments, you have been evicted as of 12:00 p.m. today, and have up to 48 hours to gather your belongings and evacuate the premises. If you fail to leave within the allotted amount of time, we will be forced to involve the authorities. We apologize for the inconvenience."_

_Sincerely,_

_Apartment Landlord and Staff_

My heart sank.

I didn't want to believe what I was reading. The more I read it, the more my stomach churned at the thought. I was homeless. My brother was homeless. What were we going to do now?

"Onee-chan! Could you come over here please?" Arashi, my younger brother, called from his room. I quickly folded the note and set it on the coffee table. I'd have to worry about it later.

"Coming!" I called, making my way over to him. When I arrived, I saw my brother looking at an old photo that was in his hand. In front of him, sprawled on his bed was an old box that used to belong to our parents. It contained pictures of them before they died, and many other old memories; even their high school yearbooks.

"Who is she?" my brother asked, pointing at a woman in the picture he was holding. The woman had short shoulder length auburn-colored hair, and an electrifying pair of blue eyes, just like the woman beside her. It was her eyes that gave her away. "Doesn't she look like mom?"

I smiled. "Yeah," I replied, "She really does. She's mom's half-sister, aunt Maia."

The little boy gasped. "We have an aunt Maia?"

I laughed. "Yes, we do. I don't think you've ever met her. I met her when I was five years old, I think, so you weren't even born back then."

"Well, can I meet her now then?" he asked.

I paused. We hardly had the money to go flying all the way to wherever she was, and I could barely remember the last time I had talked to her. Not to mention I didn't know how to even get a hold of her. "Well," I replied, "I don't have her phone number, Arashi, so I can't really call her and ask. I don't think we can."

I expected him to pout at this remark, but instead, he smiled.

"There's no need, Nee-chan. There's a number on the back of this picture."

My eyes widened. Was there really? Could he possibly be that lucky? I realized when he gave me the picture that apparently, he _could_ very well be that lucky. Amazing.

"Okay well, let me call her then," I told him, walking out of his room and into my own. I looked around for my cell phone, and when I found it, dialed the number on the back of the picture, testing my luck. This picture was from around seven years ago from the looks of it, so I suspected the number would've been disconnected.

My brother's luck proved me wrong again, however, when a person picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh, um, hello," I replied, slightly shocked. I hadn't expected anyone to answer the phone.

"This is the Yamazaki household, may I ask who's calling?" the person responded.

I paused. "Um... My name is Kizumi, Kiriyuu. I'm calling for Maia-san? Is she there?" I didn't recognize the last name Yamazaki.

"One moment."

And then there was silence. I could hear nothing from the other line, and I had no idea what to expect. It wasn't as if I could ask to live there with her. I barely even knew the woman. So, what could I possibly say to her?

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered the phone this time.

"Oh, um, Maia-san?"

I heard a gasp. "Kiriyuu-chan! It's so good to hear from you! How are you? How have you been? You're so grown up now! I can hardly remember the last time I saw you. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I didn't know what to say. "Um..." Blank. No words. Silence. Then, as if I light bulb flickered on, words began to flow. "Hi Maia-san. I'm happy I've got the right number. To answer your question, I've been pretty good actually. I wanted to call because my brother, Arashi, wanted to meet you."

"That's right!" she yelled excitedly, "Kat-chan did have a boy a few years back. I have yet to meet him. What exactly brought up this sudden interest, if I may ask?"

"Well," I explained, "He seemed to be going through some of my mother's old albums, and saw you in a few of the pictures. When I told him who you were, he asked me to call and see if I could come visit because he'd really like to meet you. I don't want to impose, though. If you can't, it's fine -"

"No! No, it's perfectly fine! You know you're welcome in my home at any time. When is it you would like to come visit? Tomorrow?"

My eyes widened. "Tomorrow? So soon? I don't think there are any flights available on such short notice."

She laughed. "Oh, don't worry dear, I'll send my jet for you whenever you'd like. How's eight o'clock sound for you?"

My jaw dropped. Jet? Was I missing something?

"That's great," I replied. "I'll make sure to pack as soon as possible."

"Okay then, Darling, it was great talking to you. Hope to see you soon!"

And then the line went dead. I didn't move, though. I was a bit too shocked for my muscles to move. I would be flying to Japan tomorrow, with my brother. But... we wouldn't be coming back. We couldn't. We would have no place to come back to. Which meant only one thing.

Today was my only day for goodbyes.

"Nee-chan! Can we go? Can we? Can we?"

I looked over at my brother and smiled. "Yeah. Go pack everything you want and need, okay? We're gonna be staying in Japan for a while. Make sure not to forget anything."

"Yes!" he exclaimed, obviously overjoyed. He ran back into his bedroom and started doing as he was told. I only had one thing I needed to do before I could be as excited as he was.

I needed to say goodbye to my Sensei.

. . .

About one hour later, I stood on his doorstep, dreading the next few moments. My sensei was my only friend. When I had to drop out of school to take care of my brother, sensei took over the role and kept me up to par with what the students were learning. Since I was five years old, sensei's taught me how to defend myself and when it is right to fight from when it is wrong. Even when my parents died and I was alone, he was there for me, and always has been. It hurt to know that this would be the last time I'd ever see him.

"Come in, Kiri-chan."

I sighed. Of course he could sense me. I walked into his dojo to see him walking towards the door to greet me. He had a smile on his face.

"To what do I owe this visit?" he asked.

I sighed again. Just seeing him; his light blonde hair and his misty blue-gray eyes, made me feel sad. It seems he noticed, too.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the smile being replaced with a worried look.

I nodded and walked up to him, hugging him as tight as I could. Tears were coming to my eyes.

"What's the matter? What's wrong?" he asked, clearly uneasy and trying to make me feel better. But it was no use. He couldn't.

After a few moments, I muttered, "I'm leaving."

Silence followed, and I could feel his body tense at my words. "Leaving where?"

More silence.

"To Japan."

I was completely crying now. I wasn't sobbing, but the tears were like miniature waterfalls cascading down my cheeks and onto his shirt. I didn't want to leave him.

"Why?" he inquired, searching for some logical reason as to why I would be doing this.

I pulled away from him and shrugged, wiping my eyes. "I forgot about the apartment bills and got evicted," I explained, "and Arashi wanted to visit our aunt, so I called her, and she offered to pick us up tomorrow to fly us to Japan, but the eviction note said that we'd only have 48 hours to evacuate or else the police would be involved, so I know that once we leave to Japan, we can't come back here..."

"Kiri-chan."

"Yes?" I asked.

"You know you could always stay here, with me. You know I would never turn you away. You or your brother."

I smiled up at him, my eyes blurring from the oncoming tears. "I know, sensei, I know, but I don't want to be a burden to you. And Arashi really wants to meet our aunt Maia, so..."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

I hesitated. No. I was not sure about this. Not sure at all. But something was telling me I had to do this. There was a feeling that was saying this was the right thing to do.

"Yes. I'm sure," I lied.

He sighed. When he looked at me, he lifted his hand and stroked my face, wiping a tear that had escaped my eye. He got closer to me, and placed his forehead on top of mine, momentarily closing his eyes. I closed mine too.

A few seconds passed with pure silence. And then... and then...

I felt a pair of smooth warm lips on top of mine.


	2. The Last Farewell

**Chapter Two**

The Start of Something New

. . .

My eyes shot open. What they saw was my sensei, with his eyes closed, less than two centimeters from my face.

He pulled away, but just barely. I could still feel his breath on my skin.

"Sen...sei?" I asked, confused; searching his eyes for an answer.

He gave me a solemn look. His eyes were a bit watered, too.

"I love you, Kiri-chan. I always have."

I blinked. He loved me? He _loved_ me?  
I didn't know what to say. As I stared into his eyes, I could tell that he was telling the truth. His eyes showed sadness at the news I had just shared, but also portrayed a feeling of affection. Affection towards me. Love.

He caressed my cheek again; so softly. It was almost as if he hadn't touched me at all.

I smiled at him. I wasn't sure why, but new tears were coming to my eyes. I couldn't say they were from happiness, but they weren't from sadness either. They were different from before. Somewhat... tranquil. Peaceful.  
I hugged him close to me again, my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat softly.

"I love you too," I replied.

Perhaps the love I felt was a different kind of love from what he was speaking of. Maybe as a brother. Maybe as a boyfriend. I wasn't really sure, but I knew that in some way, I loved him, with all my heart.

"Then please, don't leave, Kiri. You could stay here, with me."

Despite what I was feeling, I shook my head. I knew I couldn't. I felt in my very core that I couldn't. I had to go to Japan. I just had to. It wouldn't settle well with me if I stayed here.

He sighed. "Then at least... Spend the night with me," he pleaded, begging with his eyes. "If you're leaving tomorrow, then please, allow me the honor of spending your last night here with you. Just us. Together."

I had to admit, the offer was tempting.

"But what about my brother?" I asked. It had already been about two hours since I'd left him, and it looked pretty dark out. I didn't want to leave him worried, by himself. Especially at night.

"I'll give him a call; tell him to stay in the apartment, go to sleep, and that you'll see him tomorrow morning."

I considered it. I knew my brother was a good kid. As long as he knew I was safe, he wouldn't do anything drastic. He could behave for a night. Right?

"Okay," I agreed, handing him my cell phone. "But, I have to be there by five in the morning tomorrow. I still have yet to pack my things and make sure my brother packs everything he needs. Is that alright?"

My sensei smiled. "It's perfect."

. . .

The next morning, I woke up slightly... confused.

I'd grown accustomed to waking up to the bright sunlight shining through my window, or my brother's loud snoring, but today, there was no such noise. Instead, I woke up to a pair of strong arms wrapping around my torso, tugging me closer.  
It took me a second to realize what it was.

Last night. Kiss. Sensei. Japan. Maia.  
In a flash, all of my memories returned and I sat up immediately, searching for the clock in the corner of the room. It read 5:37 a.m.

"Kiri-chan... What's wrong? What's the matter?" my sensei mumbled in a groggy voice. I could tell he was still half-asleep.

"Sensei! It's 5:40 in the morning! I was supposed to be home by now!" I exclaimed, my voice frantic.

At this, he sat up abruptly, wide awake now. Without a second to lose, he stood up, threw me my clothes [he had lent me a pair of his pajamas to sleep] and went to change himself, leaving me my privacy. I started to get changed too, since sensei was out of the room, but I'd never known that sensei could change so quickly, because right as I was removing my shirt, he came back in.

It seemed as if, just for a moment, time had stood still. His icy blue eyes focused on me; my eyes focused on his, entranced.

Then, as quick as he'd come in, sensei walked right out, a light blush creeping onto his cheeks, mirroring my own. I'd finished changing after a minute or two and met sensei outside of the room, staring out of a window. It amazed me how handsome he was. He looked so perfect. Despite his slight (adorable) bed-head, and the faint bags of fatigue under his eyes, he looked almost surreal. Like an angel.

"Are you ready, Kiri-chan?" he asked, hearing my footsteps.

I thought about it. Was I ready? Was I really ready to go out into the world? To a place I barely know with a women I scarcely remember? Could I do it? I nodded, and he opened the door for me, for what seemed like it would be the very last time.

. . .

Jet. It would seem that I had taken that word a bit too lightly. I had reasoned with myself that she probably meant "jet" as a small plane she owned. A very small plane. One of those planes that hold up to like, 5 people. That type. But no. It would seem I was wrong. Big time.

What I saw was nothing even remotely close to what I'd pictured. Instead, when I'd followed her directions and arrived at where she'd said her "jet" would land, I hadn't seen a 5-people plane. I saw a 100-people plane. At _least_. And that was just an estimate. It was practically gleaming in white, with the words YAMAZAKI AIRLINES written in a navy blue hue. Needless to say my jaw nearly smashed the ground at the sight of it. It was simplistic, but beautiful.

"Huh. I see why you want to live there now," a voice whispered beside me playfully.

I turned and faced my sensei, my face sarcastic. "I'm not staying with her because she's rich," I defended. I would never stoop that low. Especially with a woman I hardly knew.

He laughed. "I know, but hey, you've got to admit it helps, right? I mean, you know you won't be imposing."

My expression didn't change. He only laughed more.

"Kizumi-chan! There you are!" my aunt called, running towards me in a pair of faded light blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Not something you'd expect a rich person to wear. Odd.

"Hi!" I called back, embracing her in a hug. I took in her scent, a light mix of strawberries and vanilla, which I noticed only added to her assets. I couldn't overlook how beautiful she'd looked in the picture, so much like my mom, and in real life, it was amplified. Her electric blue eyes were one thing, but technically, everybody in my family had those, so I was used to them. It seemed though, that she had cut her auburn colored hair shorter (mid-neck) and it made her look pretty cute; younger too.

"It's so nice to see you after all these years! And look how much you've grown! You're practically a woman now!" my aunt enthused, scanning me up and down. I had to admit, it wasn't like I looked bad either.

I have waist-length black hair, with the electric blue eyes I'd mentioned earlier; big ones too. They usually got most of the attention. I'm pretty average height, 5'5 or maybe a little taller. I have a pretty slim frame, due to Kung Fu sessions with my sensei, but fill out in all the right places. And my teeth are straight and white, so I'd say that helps too.

"Ahem," someone muttered behind me, clearing their throat. My eyes widened a bit, totally forgetting my sensei was with me, and I turned to him.

"Aunt Maia, this is my sensei, Ryuushin. Sensei, this ia my aunt Maia."

"Pleasure to meet you," my aunt said, giving my sensei a smile.

"The pleasure's mine," my sensei replied, taking hold on my aunt's hand and kissing the tip of it. My stomach clenched. I didn't like that.

"And where's the brother who so wanted to meet me? I haven't seen him."

My eyes widened again and I lifted a finger up, signaling that I'd be right back. I walked up to the car my sensei had driven us in and opened the door to the back seat. There, my brother laid, fast asleep. The ride here had been quite a long one, and he was tired from staying up all night out of excitement. I picked him up slowly, hoping not to stir him awake. He needed his sleep; anything to make him stronger.

I had arranged Arashi so that I was carrying him piggy-back style, so that his head was rested against the crook of my neck. When I arrived back to aunt Maia, her looked seemed to soften at the sight of my brother, and her and sensei stopped talking almost immediately. I whispered, "He fell asleep in the car. Could I introduce you two when he wakes up?"

My aunt nodded and gestured for us to walk towards the jet to get comfortable. I was able to set my brother down onto a nice bed while I sat across the room to keep an eye on him. I didn't want us to be separated. He was my everything.

Unfortunately, it was then that I realized my sensei wasn't coming with us, and that I truly had to say my last goodbye. So I went out for a few minutes to see him.

He stared at me as I walked out, an unreadable expression on his face. A mix of sadness and relief and greif and joy... and love. He loved me.

"Sensei," I muttered, looking up at him.

"Call me Ryuu. It's alright," he replied, embracing me in a tight hug. His head was rested on top of mine, and his arms were tightly wound around my waist. It was as if he didn't want to let me go.

I didn't either. My arms were around his neck; my tears flowing freely and dampening his shirt. It was then, as I took in his rich scent of cinnamon and white chocolate, I wondered if I would ever see him again; if I would ever hold him like this again.

"Kiri," he mumbled, sounding like he was on the verge of tears, "I will see you again. I'll come for you. When you graduate, I'll be there. You'll always have a home to come back to. I will wait for you. However long it takes, okay?"

I didn't reply immediately. In fact, I couldn't. I didn't know what to say. I know how much can change over the course of two years. I know it won't be an easy task. I didn't want him to put his life on hold because of me. So I asked him, "Are you sure?"

He pulled back from the embrace a bit, his blue-gray eyes staring directly into my soul. "I'm positive," he replied, pulling me into him again and kissing me. It wasn't by surprise this time, and my goodness, how that changed things. The second my lips met with his, a burst of warmth and electricity erupted throughout my body. My hands got tangled in his hair, his hands making sure there was zero distance between our bodies. I wanted him. I didn't want to leave. I couldn't leave.

But he knew I had to.

After what seemed like hours (which was in reality only a few minutes) he pulled away and kissed me softly one last time. He kissed my forehead, my eyes, my nose, and lastly, my lips. I gazed up at him.

"I love you," he murmured, so that only I could hear.

"I love you too."

And with that, he let me go and watched me as I boarded the jet, and disappeared from his life for next two years.


	3. The Start Of Something New

**Chapter Three**

The Start Of Something New

. . .

_Thump._

"Damn," I swore, turning my pencil over and erasing the line that had cut through my sketch. As seamless as the landing was, it still made a movement, which inevitably broke me from my trance and messed me up. As I looked at the sketch, I tried to figure out what it was.

There were trees; a lot of them. I'd sketched them lightly, which means that they must be light colored. What kind of trees were light colored? I wondered. They weren't narrow trees, and were surrounded by fallen leaves all over the grass beneath them, although they looked like petals. Hmm. Petals. A tree with petals instead of leaves. I could feel it on the tip of my tongue. I almost had it -

"Kizumi-chan?"

"Huh?" I looked up, only to meet eyes with aunt Maia.

"We're here, sweetie," she said, smiling at me. She took a glance at my sketchbook and saw what I was drawing. "Are those Sakura trees? Wow, you draw them beautifully. I never knew you could draw. Do you draw often?"

I could've sworn the "click" in my head was audible, because that was exactly what happened. Sakura trees. Cherry Blossom trees. Those were the names I was looking for. "Um, yes," I replied, grinning at her compliment. "I draw quite a lot. It relaxes me."

She smiled. "Glad to hear it. But now, we've arrived. Would you like to get going? Your brother's already outside."

That shocked me a bit. It was rare that I didn't notice him wake up. "Sure. Let's go."

She led me out of the jet, telling me that my luggage was already out and into the car, just like my brother was, but I'd tuned her out after a minute. My sketch hadn't been complete. Something was bothering me. In the middle of the paper, I had sketched an outline of a man staring up at the cherry blossoms. But the outline was so vague, that I couldn't figure out who he was. I hadn't finished sketching. I had been interrupted.

"Kiri-chan!" my brother yelled, rushing out of the car at the sight of me. He hugged me, or more accurately, squeezed me, until I could barely breath. It made me smile though. He had his energy back. "Did you see? Did you see? It's a limo! We're gonna ride in a limo!" he exclaimed, pointing a ways ahead of me. When I looked up, I did in fact see a limo. A sleek black one, with the door open, waiting for us.

That settled it. Aunt Maia was rich. There was no doubting it now, I thought.

"So, are you ready to leave? It's already 12 in the afternoon, and I think it'd be best to get everything packed before the sun goes down."

I nodded to aunt Maia and grabbed my brother's hand, settling into the limo. It was spacious, with enough room for about 12-15 people, and of course, as if it needed anything better, there was also a mini fridge and a small flat screen television for us to use.

"Woah..." my brother mumbled, clearly amazed by everything.

I was too, but my mind was more focused on my sketch. There was a blank space beside one of the Sakura trees where I was supposed to draw something, and I didn't know what it was. I decided to see if I could zone out again during the car ride in hopes of that space being filled, since my brother was occupying himself with the television. He didn't need supervision. I could relax.

. . .

It turns out that the drive wasn't very long though; only a measly fifteen minutes. So when I looked back at my sketch, all I noticed was that in the direction the mystery man was looking, there was a small fluffy bird that was chirping musical notes and a hand emerging from the blank space toward the bird. A feminine hand.

"Wow. Those trees are pretty."

My head shot up, my brother's voice interrupting my train of thought. "Um, yea. They're called Sakura Trees. They have them here, in Japan."

"Really?" he gasped, eyes widening. "Can we see them while we're here?"

I nodded, closing my sketchbook as the door beside me opened. Outside, aunt Maia was waiting, gesturing for my brother and I to follow her. The moment my feet stepped out of the car and I was able to glance at the house, I had to do a double-take. The place was huge. Enormous. Gigantic. A mansion, it seemed.

"Don't be shy," my aunt laughed, noticing my expression, "Come on in. I want to show you two to your rooms."

I did as she said, all the while having my eyes scan every inch of the house. Polished wooden floors that were the color of milk chocolate. High ceilings. Chandeliers. Fireplaces. The place had it all. And went I got to my room, I nearly dropped to the floor right then and there.

Silk bed sheets. Marble floors. Everything white. It looked like heaven had dropped one of their bedrooms and it fell right here. It was too perfect.

"I wanna see my room! Can we go there now?" my brother asked my aunt, eyes big from seeing my room and full of excitement at the prospect of how his would be like.

She nodded and muttered to me, "Go explore your room. The butler, Tadashi-san, will be here in a minute to help you unpack."

I nodded and did as she said, striding into my room and basking in its magnificence. It really did look heavenly. The marble floors were a pearlescent cream color that gleamed beautifully when the light hit it, and the chandelier that lit the room was superb. The bed was a queen size, perfect for me, and had a smooth white canopy draped from the center over the corners of the bed, which gave it a slight princess look.

"Kizumi-san?" a voice spoke from behind me.

I turned around to find a stern faced middle-aged man in a tux by the door, my luggage in his hands. "You're Tadashi-san, I presume?" I asked.

He nodded and entered the room, immediately laying my luggage down and unpacking my clothes. "How would you like your clothing to be organized? By color? By fabric?"

I blinked. "Um... just put the shorts with the shorts and the dresses with the dresses and stuff like that."

The butler, Tadashi, gave a curt nod and began putting my clothes away, not saying another word. I sighed.

"Well, um, I'm going to take a shower. Is there a hamper around here?" I asked.

"Just give the clothes to me once you undress. I'll wash them for you."

I nodded and walked into my bathroom, all white, just like my room, and closed the door, stripping myself of my clothes.

**Tadashi's POV**

As I was putting away a pair of jeans, a paper fell out of the back pocket and onto the floor. I quietly set the jeans down and picked it up, curious.

_"We regret to inform you that, due to your recent lack of payments, you have been evicted as of 12:00 p.m. today, and have up to 48 hours to gather your belongings and evacuate the premises. If you fail to leave within the allotted amount of time, we will be forced to involve the authorities. We apologize for the inconvenience." _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Apartment Landlord and Staff_

Hmm. So that was the real reason she had come here. It made sense, after all. A 15 year old girl living on her own? It's amazing she's made it this long. Maia-sama should know about this, I thought, standing and making my way toward where she was.

**Kiri's POV**

Ahh, how I loved showers. So warm and relaxing, I thought, as I hung my towel up to dry. I shook my hair, trying to rid it of excess water, when I heard a knock at my bathroom door.

"Kiri-chan?" my aunt asked, speaking through the door. "When you're finished getting dressed, could I talk to you for a minute? I have a favor to ask of you."

"Um, sure," I replied, confused. What could she possibly want from me?

"Okay, just go to the living when when you're done."

I nodded, even though I knew she couldn't see me. I let out a breath as I heard her footsteps getting farther, and looked into the fog-filled mirror. My blue eyes stared back at me, same befuddled expression. A favor? About what? I just met the woman and she wants to ask me a favor?

I shook my head again. I'd find out soon enough.

I removed a dry towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around me, catching my breath at the realization that it was warm.

A heated towel rack. Nice.

I opened the door and stepped outside, going straight for my closet. My luggage was gone, which I could only assume meant that the butler had unpacked everything while I was showering. What a nice life, my aunt had.

Opening the closet door, I gaped.

How could this possibly be a closet? It was the size of my room back in China! In front of me, from the roof to the floor, were shoes, most of which didn't even belong to me. On the left were dresses and skirts. On the right, shorts and t-shirts. And in the middle, a random place for drawers, in my opinion (sort of like a kitchen island) were all my pajamas and underwear. Wow.

I walked around, my feet captivated by the velvety smooth softness of the carpet here, no doubt made of some expensive fabric. I stopped when I caught sight of a dress that I recognized. I hadn't even remembered packing it. It was a yukata that used to belong to my mother when she was my age. It was sky blue, with fluffy white clouds printed all over it. It had a white bow that tied around its middle and white slippers to match. Very simple, yet very beautiful, I thought. It meant the world to me.

I sighed. The past was the past, though. My mother was gone, and that was one of the very few things she had left for me, in her absence. That same day, the last day that I had seen her, she shared with me a memory of the night she'd first worn the dress. The night she'd discovered her true feelings.

But that was a story for another day. Right now, I had to change, because my aunt was waiting for me. Waiting for a favor.

So, as my eyes skimmed the clothing in this vast space these people called a closet, they finally decided on a pair of light blue jean shorts that reached up to the middle of my thighs and a tight white t-shirt with my white ballet flats. Cute and comfy, I reasoned. I gave myself a nod and began to change.

Once I was dressed, I went down to the living room, just as my aunt had asked, and found her sitting on the scarlet couch there, waiting for me.

"Sorry for the wait, I mumbled, making myself comfortable in the seat across from her, "The closet sort of put me into shock for a few seconds."

She laughed. "It's okay dear, this won't take long. I just wanted to ask you if you could, perhaps, stay here for a while?"

I blinked. What?

"The thing is," she explained, "I'll be traveling for a while due to my job, and Tadashi is going to be with me, so I would really love if you could stay behind and care for the house here while I'm gone. It would really mean a lot to me."

I blinked again. She wanted me to live here? Seriously? "Umm..." I paused, still in shock. Could I really be this lucky? Is this really happening?

"If you're worried about school, I've already spoken with Namimori Middle about enrolling you. They said it was fine since the school was just about to start again anyway. Summer's due to end day after tomorrow."

My mind was still boggled. I was still in disbelief. She was offering for me to live here. To make a life here. To go to school here, in this beautiful place, and this huge house.

"Sure. I would be okay staying here, as long as it doesn't inconvenience you."

She smiled. "Wonderful! I'll go tell your brother the news. Is there anything you need to get for yourselves? Clothing? Food preferences..."

I laughed. Clothing? What more could I possibly get that my closet didn't already have? I shook my head.

"...Medicine? Any pets you two would like?"

I froze. Medicine. I did need that. For Arashi.

"Okay, well, here's a credit card," my aunt said, seeming to notice how my body grew tense at one of her words. "Get anything you need. I'll go tell your brother the good news, alright? And oh, do you want to stop by the school to pick up your uniform tomorrow or do you want Tadashi to do it?"

I shook my head, taking the credit card and examining it. It was gold. Shiny too. "Um, no, that's fine. I could do it." I replied, looking up at her. "I'm curious as to what the school looks like anyway."

She smiled. "Okay then. Try to be back before its late. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

I nodded, and she got up and left the room. I let out a sigh.

Wow. To think that a few days ago, I would never have even dreamt of this house being a place to live in for me. To be in Japan. For sensei to be gone.

Over and over I flipped the card in my hand, not really paying attention. Sensei. Gone. The two words seemed to just break my heart. They didn't feel right belonging in the same sentence.

That didn't mean that they weren't true, though. They were. It was a fact of life.

I stood up; pocketing the card and striding towards the door to the entrance of the house. It didn't do any good do dwell on unpleasant things, he had always told me. It was a waste of valuable time and energy. Better to dwell on what you have than what you don't. That was the key to happiness.

A brisk breeze greeted my skin as I stepped out of the house. I closed the door and began on my way, examining the scenery that surrounded me. The garden was beautiful; you could tell it was very well kept. It had tiger lilies on a far corner, near a small fountain, and I nearly screamed at the sight of them.

I loved tiger lilies. They were my favorite flower.

I kept myself back, though. I decided I would see them later. Right now, I had to go get my brother his medicine, since he only had enough to last him the next two or three days. He was always first.

So I resumed my gazing, looking from the sky to the trees, the lakes to the clouds. Everything here was beautiful. So open. Not like where I lived before, where everything was just cramped apartment complexes and around the corner drug stores. Here, you could smell the fresh air. You could practically feel the open space and the freedom. It was refreshing. It was nice.

_Growl._

I froze. I knew that sound.

_Growl. Growl._

There it went again. I sighed. I had forgotten I hadn't eaten anything since this morning. Leave it to me to have to starve before food even considers becoming a thought of mine. It made me laugh a bit. Such an odd person, I was.

I skimmed the area around me. By now, I had made it to what I assumed was the town square, but where was a place to eat? And where was the pharmacy?

I kept walking.

I skimmed and skimmed some more until finally, my eyes landed on a sushi place around the corner to my left. It seemed promising, so I traipsed toward it. A block away, I also caught sight of a pharmacy, and smiled. Just my luck.

A bell jingled as I opened the door to the sushi shop, announcing my entrance. A boy who seemed to be about my age stood up from behind the counter to see who'd just come in, and smiled when his eyes landed on me. I smiled back. He was pretty cute.

"Pops, we've got a customer here!" he called, averting his eyes from me for a moment to talk to his father. An older man peered through the door to what I assumed was the kitchen and smiled at me too.

"Welcome," he said, beckoning me over. "Sit anywhere you like. Takeshi will be with you in just a second."

I nodded. I strode over and sat directly in front of the boy, looking around. The shop was quaint. When I peered through the glass in front of me and saw the sushi they served, my mouth watered. I loved sushi, and theirs looked absolutely delicious.

"You're a tourist here, aren't you?" the boy, Takeshi, asked.

I thought about it. I suppose I wasn't a tourist anymore if I was going to live here, right? So I shook my head.

It seemed to confuse him. "Well, I've never seen you around before. Namimori's a pretty small place. Are you new?"

I nodded, and told him, "I just moved here yesterday. That's probably why you've never seen me."

He nodded in understanding, and introduced himself. "My name's Yamamoto, Takeshi. What's yours?"

"Kiriyuu," I replied. "Kizumi, Kiriyuu."

He laughed. "Kiki. I like it."

I giggled. That was different. I'd never been called Kiki before.

After that, the rest of the conversation went normally. He asked for my order and prepared it while continuing to talk to me, and I learned that he was a really nice guy. He loved baseball, he mentioned, and he worked for his dad in this restaurant part-time to help him. I respected that.

"Do you know what school you're going to?" he asked.

I paused, and tried to recall the name of the school my aunt had told me about. My brow furrowed after a minute, and I closed my eyes, desperately trying to remember. It was a simple name. The name of the town, I think.

Then it clicked.

"Namimori Middle," I replied, glancing up at him. "Do you know the school?"

His smile widened. "Yeah. That's my school."

I beamed. "That's perfect. Now I know I have a friend there."

He nodded. "Definitely. Do you know what class you have?"

I shook my head. "I'm supposed to go there tomorrow to figure that out and get my uniform."

"Really?" he asked. "You know, I could show you where the school is, if you want."

I stood up from my seat, grinning. "Sure. Are you free now?"

He smirked. "Yeah, one sec. Just let me tell the old man where I'm going."


	4. White

**Chapter Four**

_A New Friend!_

_. . ._

"Here it is. Nami Middle."

I gaped. Was everything in this town breathtakingly beautiful?

Takeshi laughed. "Pretty nice, huh? It's really big, but I'll make sure you don't get lost."

I smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded, and then he asked, "Where are you gonna go now? Do you know how to get back to your house from here?"

I froze. How had I not thought of that earlier? I didn't know where aunt Maia lived!

"I guess not," he muttered, laughing again. He grabbed my hand. "I'll take you back to my dad's shop, then you should be able to find your way back from there, right?"

I slipped my hand from his grasp, pretending to run it through my hair while nodding and keeping up with his pace. He didn't seem to notice. I didn't like holding random boys' hands. It didn't feel right.

"Hey, do you play any sports or something?" he asked.

"No," I replied, "but I practice Kung Fu."

Takeshi smirked. "Wanna race?"

I laughed. "You're joking, right?"

His smirk remained. Unfaltering. As if it were mocking me.

"Fine then. Bring it. On three?"

He nodded, and started counting up. "1…2…3!"

And we sped off. Takeshi was the slightest bit ahead, and it aggravated me. Less than a foot in front of me. I could do better than this! But I decided to wait. Let him run full speed, stay behind him, and then at the last second put everything I had so that I beat him. Made sense, right?

Wrong. Seven minutes later, Takeshi and I swiftly entered the restaurant at the exact same time and there was no winner. Darn.

Panting, I mumbled a "Good job" to Takeshi, taking a glance at him. He looked just as tired as I was.

"You too," he panted, smiling at me. I smiled back. We both sat down in one of the tables, resting our bodies. I could barely move. He could barely breath. We laughed when we saw each other so fatigued. And laughed, and kept laughing. Then when we calmed down, we talked. We got along so well that it amazed me. It didn't feel as if we'd met just an hour ago. Rather, it was as if we'd met a long long time ago. We just clicked.

When the lights outside of the restaurant turned on, my eyes widened. "What time is it?" I asked Takeshi.

He looked at the clock on the far side of the room and replied, "Eight o'clock."

I nearly jumped out of my seat. "I still have to go to the pharmacy! Do you know if it's still open?"

He paused. "I think it is. It's right across the street. I'll walk you there if you want."

I smiled at him, already rushing towards the exit of the restaurant. "It's alright, I saw it on my way here. I'll see you… Monday?" I called.

He nodded, waving goodbye as I sprinted out of the shop. When I was outside, I scanned the street and all the stores on it until I saw the word PHARMACY written in capital letters on the far side of the road. It was slightly darker there, and it looked more isolated, which was odd, but I walked there anyway. It probably looked so dark because of how late it was getting. No big deal. Luckily for me it was still open, just like Takeshi had said, so I was able to walk straight in and get my brothers medicine without any problems.

When I walked out, however, I had no such luck. There were three boys who looked a few years older than me waiting by the door, and the second I walked out they made a move for me.

What fools.

. . .

When I arrived back at aunt Maia's, it was late; around 9:30 p.m. I used the key I had left under the doormat earlier today to get inside the house. I always lose my house keys, it's ridiculous. Walking in, I set the pharmacy bag on the coffee table and went up to my room on the third floor. I took off my ballet flats, making sure to put them in their proper place in the closet and then strode into the bathroom, grabbing the hairbrush. I walked out, sat cross-legged on my bed, and then started to brush through my long, black locks of hair; slowly, smoothly, softly. I've always found it so relaxing to brush my hair. When others slid their fingers through my hair, it felt so nice. It never fails to give my head a small tickling feeling where the hair met the skull. It was almost addicting.

The moment I came to terms with the fact that there were no more knots in my hair, I stood up once again and walked into the bathroom, dropping the hairbrush on the counter and grabbing my toothbrush, deciding to get ready for bed. I brushed my teeth, tied my hair into a bun (it gave my hair the most beautiful waves), and walked straight out of the restroom and into my closet, glancing through all the pajamas folded before me. I decided on a pair of short baby blue boxers and a white tank top, grabbing the white slippers to match. Once I was changed, I placed the slippers beside the bed, climbed up under the sheets, and closed my eyes, falling into a light, dreamless sleep. Or so I thought.

. . .

_Everything was white. _

_The sky was white, the ground was white, even the air was white. It was blinding. When I looked down at myself, I noticed that I was even dressed in white. A long, elaborate ivory dress flowing from just below my waist to a couple of feet behind me, trailing along the ground._

_But it was getting wet._

_Was that snow? I bent down to touch it and felt ice. Crushed ice. So it _was_ snow, I concluded, standing up. Looking at the sky, I realized it was white because it was covered, and I mean covered in clouds. Not an inch of blue sky could be seen for miles. And it was foggy, which only added to the colorless landscape._

_"Come here, Kiriyuu."_

_My head jolted in the direction of the voice, my eyes squinting, searching for the source. There was someone else here. A woman._

_"Here, Kiriyuu…"_

_I trudged through the snow, closer to the voice. Desperately hoping she could explain why I was here, or how I got here. I didn't remember anything._

_I felt a hand take hold of mine, and froze, almost literally. She felt like ice itself. Her hand was hard, and cold. "I have something to tell you," she whispered in my ear. I whimpered. I was scared. I couldn't move. She was walking around, standing behind me now, when she whispered, "The snow immobilizes everything. It stops, it struggles, and it shields, but if left too long…"_

_"It kills," I whispered, my eyes widening. The woman was now in front of me, looking directly into my eyes._

_She was nearly as pale as the snow, but soft, and smooth like marble. Her hair was just as long as mine, but white and thin like thread._

_It was her eyes that gave her away. They were big, just like mine, with long silky lashes. They were also the most electrifying color of blue you would ever see, just like mine were._

_She was me._


	5. A New Encounter

**Chapter Five**

_The Letter Back Home_

**[A/N: I didn't mention this before, but if you wanna know what Ryuu looks like, look up a picture of Alaude.]**

. . .

I woke up to my brother's face looking at me worriedly. I was curled up in a little ball over the covers shivering; it was really cold.

"What happened?" I mumbled groggily, sitting up and stretching my body.

"You were crying," Arashi said, frowning. "I came in and saw you trembling, and when I tried to pull the covers you woke up."

My brows furrowed. I was dreaming something before my brother woke me up. Something about white…

"Nee-chan?" my brother asked.

"Oh, yea? It's okay Arashi, I'm fine now."

He looked less than convinced. "You're still shivering," he said.

I looked down at my arms. They were covered in goosebumps. "Okay, hold on then," I said, standing up and walking towards my bathroom. I went in and picked a towel off of the heated towel rack and wrapped it around myself. Instant bliss swept throughout my body. Ah, heat. Such a wondrous thing.

"You know… you had covers on your bed that would've been much more comfortable than a towel," Arashi stated, grinning at my relieved expression.

"Arashi, you have no idea what you're talking about. Come here," I beckoned, motioning for him to come with my hands. I grabbed another towel off of the towel rack and threw it at him. It landed on his face.

"Woah! These are warm!" he exclaimed, holding them closer. I gave him a smug look.

"Told you so."

He laughed. A few minutes later he decided that he should go back to sleep since it was only five in the morning. I had woken him up in the first place anyway, so I kissed him on the forehead and watched him leave while making my way back to my bed. I wanted to see if I could still get a few more hours of sleep in.

Ten minutes of laying in bed with my eyes closed made me realize that I couldn't, so I got up and took a shower, getting an early start on the day. After I was clean and dressed, I decided to go out onto my balcony with my sketchbook, since the sun was due to rise any minute now. I got into my reclining chair, positioned my paper and pencil, and stared out at the sky, and the town of Namimori.

. . .

It was around 7:30 a.m. when Tadashi, the butler, came in to inform me that breakfast would be ready in half an hour. He broke me from my (as I call it) "sketching trance," but he did it with pretty good timing. My sketch was nearly finished, and all that was needed was some more shading in a few places of the picture. As I studied it and compared it to the real sunrise, I could see the differences. The sunrise was higher and brighter now than in the picture, since I started drawing it earlier, but my picture seemed to have more of a variety in hues and shades of color. I liked it.

I finished the shading and signed the bottom right corner. Then I ambled into my room, rolled up the sketch and placed it in a drawer in my desk. I took out my previous sketch, the one from the plane, and sat down at my desk to get into my trance and see if I could finish sketching the picture. I hated leaving things unfinished. It was a pet peeve of mine.

Ten minutes into it, I heard my name being called, which broke me from my trance once again.

"Kiriyuu! Breakfast is ready!"

I looked down at the drawing to see what I'd added. It was me. My hand was the one extended toward the small plump fluffy bird in the picture, and I was smiling. The space in the center was still empty, though. I sighed.

"I'm coming!" I called, rolling up the sketch and placing it with the other one. I'd have to finish it another time, I thought to myself as I made my way down the stairs. They were spiral from the third floor to the second, and then led to a large straight set of stairs that reached all the way to the first floor.

"Ah, Kiriyuu, you're here!" my aunt called, rushing over to me, "Now we can have our first breakfast together, the three of us. It'll be the only one we have in a while since I'm leaving today."

I stopped walking. "Leaving? Leaving where?" They could not possibly be leaving me alone here.

"I told you before, didn't I? My job makes me go all over the place. I'm leaving to China first, then Italy, and then the United States. I'll be gone for quite a while. I mean, I'll return for a day or so in between trips to change my wardrobe around, but that's why I invited you to stay here. To look over the house."

It took all I had for my jaw not to hit the ground. Arashi and I alone in this humongous place? Was she joking? I'd thought she'd leave someone else or hire someone else to watch over us or something. Did she really trust that easily?

"Kiriyuu?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Yeah, I remember now. Okay. You said you were going to China though, right? Which part?"

"I'll be landing in Beijing and staying there for a few days, and then driving to Hong Kong, why? Would you like me to deliver something to that boyfriend of yours?" she inquired with a wink.

I blushed. I wouldn't say he was my boyfriend, was he? I mean, he never really asked, but the kiss sort of implied it, I guess… "Um… well, yeah, actually," I replied, shaking my head again, "I'll write him a letter with the address and everything and you could just deliver to his doorstep, if that's not too much trouble? I don't really trust the postal service."

"Oh that's perfectly fine dear, I can do that."

I beamed. Yay!

"Now lets go eat our breakfast. It's probably ice cold by now," Aunt Maia said, walking toward the dining room.

I didn't follow, however. _Ice cold._ My dream. It had something to do with ice.

"Are you coming, dear?" my aunt called.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" I called back, temporarily putting my dream aside. I'd think about it later. The only thing important now was…

FOOD.

. . .

_ Dear __Ryuu,_

_I miss you. I wanted you to know that before I said anything about anything else._

_It's weird not having you here. No one to hold, and no one to talk to. But it's okay I think, because I know that you're happy. At least, I hope you are. If you're not (and I can tell by your writing, so don't try to fool me) I'll fly straight back there and get you. My aunt has a jet, you know. :P_

_Which reminds me, do you remember about how you commented about aunt Maia being rich? Well you have NO clue how rich she really is. It's so weird. She lives in this HUGE three-story house, gated entrance and everything, and you want to know the best part? She's going to let Arashi and I live here! I couldn't believe it when she told me! She said that her job makes her fly around a lot (she's flying to Beijing, which is why I'm writing this letter for her to give to you) and she wants Arashi and I to stay and live here while she's gone to take care of the house. Isn't that lucky?_

_Also, school starts tomorrow. I've already made a friend here who goes to my school, so I won't be completely alone the first day. His name is Takeshi. He's really fun. :)_

_But anyway, what have you been up to? Any new students? Any new things? Please reply soon._

_I really miss you._

_ Love, Kiriyuu. :3_

_. . ._

I folded up the letter and placed it in an envelope, licking the edges to seal it shut. With the letter, I also included my sketch of the sunrise, to show Ryuu just how beautiful it was here. I figured he'd appreciate it. He's always loved my sketches and drawings, for no apparent reason. He'd asked me to keep one several times and I always said no because I liked them too much. But, the sunrise happens every day and I could always draw it again, so I decided to give him this one. I wanted to make sure he didn't forget me.

Once the letter was sealed and ready to go, I made my way downstairs and gave the letter to aunt Maia. She just smiled and winked at me before walking up to her room, which left my cheeks a rosy pink color. She really needed to stop doing that.

Since it was only nine in the morning, I decided to see if I could find my way back to the school, seeing as I needed to pick up my uniform and class schedule today anyway. I didn't want to look like an idiot lost on the first day of school.

So I opened the front door, walked outside, closed the door, and bent down to use the key under the welcome mat to lock the house when I realized something. That was such an obvious hiding place for a house key. I couldn't leave it there! This place was practically a mansion, and here I was just leaving a key under a mat for any robber to come and find to steal all the expensive stuff. What was I thinking?

I locked the house and studied my surroundings. I needed to find a better hiding place. There were bushes… but no, an animal could accidentally eat it or something. The tree trunk? Nope, a squirrel could steal it. Hmm…

Ooh! The pot of tiger lilies! No one would be able to tell which pot the key was in; there were too many. Plus, tiger lilies were my favorite flowers, so it was perfect!

I walked over and placed the key under the prettiest tiger lily of the bunch, and then started to make my way towards the school. When I made it out of the gate and to the front of the house, I looked around, still walking, taking my time. The place here was just so… bewitching, magnificent, and outright beautiful that I needed to take it all in. The trees' leaves were perfectly green and lush, their trunks thick and strong, as if they were centuries old. They casted a lot of shadow, so the sun's rays were soft and subdued.

The road I was walking was pretty isolated, since aunt Maia's house was a way's away from the central neighborhoods. She owned a lot of land. From here to the school, I gathered, was a few miles, which meant that I had to wake up very early to make it to Namimori on time. I didn't mind, though. Early morning and late at night were the most relaxing times of day, in my opinion. The moments were silent, the air crisp and cool, and the moon always glistened gracefully, only adding to its tranquil atmosphere. I enjoyed those moments very, very much. They made me happy.

Once I started to see more sun and less trees, I knew that I was getting closer to the town square, where I had met Takeshi yesterday. I wondered if he'd be working there again. Should I stop by and say hi if he is? Maybe we could talk again today. Or maybe he could show me where the Cherry Blossom trees are.

Closing in on the town square, I decided not to think about it. I said I'd see him Monday, so I'd see him monday. I had to focus on getting to school.

. . .

When I finally made it to Namimori, I smiled. I'd remembered the way here. Awesome.

Now, to the front office, I thought, as I opened the front doors to the school. I roamed around inside, randomly taking turns and going around in circles until I found a room that said "Reception Room."

Yes! I'd found it!

I went inside.

Instead of seeing a person behind a desk like I'd expected, I saw a young man on a couch sleeping. He looked pretty adorable, so I turned to leave the room and let him keep sleeping. His eyes flickered open at the sound of my footsteps and he sat up immediately, raising what looked like metal tonfa in his arms. "Who dares disrupt me during my nap?" he asked.

When I turned back around, my eyes nearly bulged out of my head at the sight of the man. He looked just like sensei. The exact same eyes. The same shape and everything. Only sensei's were bluer, and this man's hair was black instead of blonde. But they looked like twins. It was amazing.

The man was standing now, glaring at me with an impatient look on his face. "Answer or I'll bite you to death."

I blinked. Bite me? Was he serious?

The man made a move with his tonfa, swinging it to hit my left side, but I jumped back. It would seem he was very serious.

"I'm Kizumi Kiriyuu," I said, raising my hands in surrender, "I'm transferring into this school and came to get my uniform and class schedule for tomorrow. Who are you?" I asked.

He moved again, this time going for my face. I dodged, but he tried again and again, relentlessly determined to injure me. I kept eluding his attacks, moving further and further backward until unluckily, my spine met the wall and he was in front of me. When he moved to try and hit me another time, I grabbed his tonfa, blatantly blocking his attack. He used his other arm to hit me and I ducked, swiftly evading his attack and moving a few feet away from him. He stopped.

"Hn. The main office is the first door to the right of the entrance. Leave."

I sighed. It seemed he was finally done. He strode back to his couch, completely ignoring my existence, it seemed, and I followed his lead and walked out of the room.

When I found the entrance, I approached the first door to the right and saw the words "Main Office" printed on the door. How had I not seen that earlier? I wondered. I felt like an idiot.

When I walked through the door, I saw what I had expected to see the first time around. A woman behind a desk in an office outfit. Now I could tell I was in the right place.

"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked sweetly. She looked around five years older than me, brown hair and hazel eyes. Quite the cutie.

"Um, I came to get my uniform and class schedule for tomorrow. I just transferred into the school yesterday. My name's Kizumi Kiriyuu."

"One second," she replied, typing away at her computer. "Oh, yes, we do have you registered. Let me just print out your schedule. What size are you in clothes, by the way?"

I paused. "Um… small."

"Alright, I'll be back with your schedule and uniform shortly."

I nodded. Tomorrow my new life would begin. New school, new people, new friends…

I couldn't wait to see how things would be.


	6. The First Day of School

**Chapter Six**

_The First Day of School_

. . .

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a bird chirping outside my window. It was a light, squeaky chirp. The kind of chirp only small birds could produce. It was chirping a kind of song…

I sat up, rubbed my eyes, stretched, and walked over onto my balcony, yet I didn't see any birds. Not even one. How odd.

Shrugging it off, I walked back inside and straight into my bathroom. I showered, brushed my teeth, put my hair up into a ponytail, and applied the slightest bit of eyeliner onto my eyes so that their dazzling color of blue would stand out. It was my first day of school, after all. I wanted to look nice.

When I looked at the clock in the far corner of my room, I noticed it was only 6:12, which meant I still had 18 minutes to spare until I had to leave for school. I inwardly cheered. Using up the bit of spare time I had, I walked over to my full length mirror and took a look at myself. The school's uniform wasn't too bad. It consisted of a short brown skirt that reached my mid-thigh, a white long-sleeved collared shirt, a black vest, and a red bow in the center. It also had a pair of black knee-high socks and any brown shoes of choice. So I chose some brown ballet flats.

It was 6:15 when I walked over to my brother's room. I was happy to see that he was almost done getting ready. He would be coming to school with me today.

"Nee-chan, do I look okay?" he asked, turning to me. I looked him over. He had on some black jeans, a white collared shirt, and a brown vest. I laughed.

"Arashi, you don't go to this school, you know. You can wear anything you want. You're only coming with me today because I haven't found you a home tutor yet."

Arashi looked away. "I don't need a home tutor," he mumbled, "I can go to school just like any of the other kids my age. Nee-chan, why do I have to be home all the time?"

My face fell. He knew very well why he had to be home all the time. "We've already had this conversation Arashi. You aren't strong enough to go to school."

He huffed and turned away, walking back into his bathroom. I sighed. It pained me to keep him here, all alone. I knew it was for the best, and that it was the only way I could ensure his safety but, it still hurt to keep him here.

I stiffened when I heard a sniffle come from the bathroom.

"Arashi?" I called, walking over to the door.

"Go away!" he yelled, turning around.

I walked inside.

"You don't know what it's like here!" he yelled, "To be at home all by yourself… You have friends, and teachers, and people your age. All I had was Sensei back home and not even _he's_ here!"

I put my arms around Arashi, trying to keep my guilt at bay.

"Please 'nee-chan… I just wanna go to school. Please. I'm strong, I promise. I'm strong enough to go."

He raised his head and I looked into his eyes; his tear-filled, saddened blue eyes. How could I resist those?

"Okay."

He froze. "W-what?"

"You can go to school here," I muttered, stepping away and raising my finger, "But only on a few conditions."

Arashi's face lit up faster than a lamp ever could. "Yes! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

I raised my fingers, counting. "First condition: No P.E."

"What?" he yelled. I laughed.

"Nope. No basketball, tennis, baseball, whatever. No physical education."

"But why-"

"None," I said, drops of finality coating the word.

"Fine."

I smiled. "Second, you take your own lunch. You don't eat any school food, and I meant _any_ school food, understand?"

"Hai," he muttered reluctantly. I smiled.

"And lastly, you get A's in every single class you have. I'm not going to have you going to school just to fail. The second you get a B, you're going to be home-schooled again. Immediately. No exceptions, okay?"

"Okay," he muttered, smiling now.

I smiled back. "Now let's go. I'm already running late and I haven't even registered you for your school yet."

Arashi jumped up, pumping one fist in the air. "Alright!" He ran out the door.

I ran after him.

. . .

By the time I was back at school, I was already 45 minutes late.

I sighed.

"You're late," a smooth voice spoke from beside me, a few feet away to my left.

When I turned around, I realized it was the same boy who had attacked me the other day when I had come to get my uniform. The sensei-looking one, with black hair and tonfa. "I'm sorry," I explained, "I had to drop my little brother off at school and it took me longer than I had expected to get here -"

"You will be punished. I will bite you to death."

I froze. Crap. He was going to try to bite me again.

I ran.

Straight through the front doors, down the halls and up the stairs, I ran as fast as I could, searching for my class room number. My schedule said that I was assigned to class 2B.

Class 2B… 2B…. Where are you?

I felt a gust of wind at the base of my neck. When I glanced behind me I saw the man right on my heels, swinging his tonfa. I panicked.

_'Only fight back in times of self-defense. Only self-defense.'_

I pondered over Ryuu's words. This would constitute as a case of self-defense, right? I mean, I really didn't want to be bitten to death.

Another gust of wind flew by my neck, causing a few hairs from my ponytail to come loose.

Right, I decided, stopping and charging at the man at less than a second's notice. When I went to hit him, he blocked me with his tonfa almost reflexively, and I went for a kick from behind, just barely landing one on the back of his knee. He slightly, and only slightly lost his balance, but it was a chance. It was my only chance.

I ran again.

This time, I found my classroom and rushed inside, closing the door immediately.

When I turned to face the class, I was met with an ocean of eyes. Some staring at me shocked, others confused, the rest giving me WTF looks...

"Kiki!" one person yelled from the back of the class, somewhat near the center. When I looked in that direction, my blue eyes met with Takeshi's hazel ones, and I smiled. I was in his class.

"Ahem, and you are?" the teacher asked, his eyebrows raised.

My cheeks flushed. "Um, my name is Kizumi Kiriyuu. I'm a new student," I mumbled, looking away. I had totally ignored him without realizing before.

"Oh, that's right. I have you here on my roster. Did you get lost?" he asked, curious as to why I was late.

I shook my head. "No, it's just that I had to drop my little brother off at school last minute and it took me a bit longer to get here. And when I finally got here some man with tonfa and a red ribbon around his arm started attacking me because I was late."

He smiled and gave me an understanding look. I shyly smiled back.

"Well, since you seem to already have a friend here, you can go and take a seat beside Yamamoto so I can resume teaching my class."

I nodded and walked over to Takeshi, earning many glares from girls around the rooms and many frowns from the boys. It was weird.

"Glad to see you made it," Takeshi whispered, grinning in my direction.

I smirked. "Glad to see you're here."

. . .

By the time lunch rolled around, I had already finished my work for the day. The things that the people were learning here were things I had learned months ago from Ryuu, so it was easy to for me to finish quickly.

"Hey, you wanna come and eat lunch with me and my friends?" Yamamoto asked, holding out his hand.

"Sure," I agreed, taking hold of it and following him. He led me over to a group of four people all huddled together. One was a small girl with short orange-blonde hair and hazel eyes. Among the others was a boy with spiky light brown hair and hazel eyes as well, and a taller boy with silver hair that reached the tip of his shoulders. The taller one had beautiful emerald green eyes, but he looked kind of mean.

The most interesting of them all though, was the baby. Or at least, he looked like a baby. He was so small he could easily fit on the top of my head.

"Hello, Kizumi-san," the baby said, holding out his hand. I bent down and shook it, sending the small boy a smile. "The name's Reborn."

I laughed. "Well hello Reborn." He smiled.

When I stood back up and looked at the others, I learned that the girl's name was Sasagawa Kyoko, the smaller boy was Sawada Tsunayoshi, and the taller mean-looking one was Gokudera Hayato. I bowed. "Pleasure to meet you all."

Kyoko and Tsunayoshi bowed in return and Gokudera just nodded. For a few seconds, there was a slightly awkward silence, but Reborn soon spoke and broke it.

"Kizumi, when you first came into class, you looked like you were running. Were you running from Hibari?"

My brows furrowed. "Hibari? You mean the guy with the tonfa?"

Reborn nodded.

"Oh. Well yes, I was running from him. He kept claiming he was going to 'bite me to death' for being late to school, and I didn't want to be bitten, so I ran."

"And you actually escaped?" Tsuna asked, an expression of astonishment on his face.

I nodded. Reborn smirked.

"If you'd like," he said, "We're gonna go put our things in a corner and meet up at the roof to eat our lunch. Could you go up ahead of us to make sure no one else goes there?"

I shrugged and nodded, sending the group a smile before I briskly walked out the door and towards the stairs to the rooftop.

. . . [Different POV] . . .

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed worriedly, "Why would you do that? You know Hibari-san naps on the roof at lunchtime everyday!"

Reborn's smirk was still planted on his face. "I know. I just want to test something. Follow me."

. . . [Kiri's POV] . . .

When I got up to the rooftop, it was completely bare. Walking towards its center, I took notice of the amazing view of the town it gave. I could almost see aunt Maia's house from here. Or at least the roof of it. Also, just underneath me, on the school grounds, were the most breathtakingly beautiful Cherry Blossom trees I had ever seen. They looked almost exactly the way I had drawn them in my sketch. The same shaped trunks and the same amount of leaves… It was an amazing coincidence.

"You."

I froze. You have got to be kidding me.

I started to feel a deadly aura coming from behind me and I sighed. Not again.

"This is the second time you disrupt my sleep. You will not go unpunished."

I turned around to defend myself, only to be met with the man that had attacked me twice before. The same cold gray eyes and dark black hair… He hadn't started attacking me yet. He had his tonfa positioned and ready to strike, but it wasn't until I had turned around and met his eyes that he made a move. It went almost the same as before; him trying to hit me and me dodging him. I didn't try to explain myself this time because from previous experience, it seemed he didn't listen to any excuses. He was just a punisher.

The hit-and-dodge game went on for about ten minutes straight until I started to get irritated. This man, Hibari, didn't even know me and here he was attacking me just because I woke him from a nap. What nerve. It was lunch time anyway! How could he blame me for waking him when it was his choice to nap in a public place? He had no reason to keep assaulting me. It was stupid of me to be wasting so much energy on him.

So I started to strike back; end things quickly.

Within two minutes I had kicked one of his tonfa out of his grasp, and he had gotten angrier. He started to lash at me quicker and harder, in hopes of landing a hit, but I had been trained in Kung Fu since the age of five. Eleven years of martial arts training had made me nearly an expert at dodging tonfa and other weapons of the like, so he was never going to land a hit with those.

I knocked the second tonfa out of his hand.

We both stopped. He was glaring at me and I was staring at him, waiting for his next move.

Four seconds passed.

"You have detention at 6:00 p.m. after school for the entire week for being late, and assaulting the head prefect of the disciplinary committee. If you refuse to attend, you and all other extended family that live here will be expelled from their schools and be bitten to death."

My jaw dropped.


	7. The Bite

**Chapter Seven**

_Detention_

. . .

_Dear Kiriyuu,_

_I could not even begin to explain how hard it's been, not seeing you here everyday. Not being able to marvel at the beauty of your smile or kiss your soft, luscious lips… It's been terrible. I miss you tremendously. _

_But, I must say it brings me great joy to hear you've already started to make friends. I knew you would. Your sweet innocence and kindness made it inevitable._

_I'm also very pleased to hear that you're living better. Three-stories you said the house was? Very nice. _

_In any case, I'm pleased to hear that you're happy. That's all I'll ever need to be content with life here. _

_I want to wish you a good day at your new school tomorrow, and I'll pray that you stay safe._

_I love you. I always will. Two years is nothing. I'll always be here._

_Love, Ryuu._

_(P.S. To answer your questions, I haven't picked up any new students. I've started working at that sushi place you love down the street to take up the spare time I usually used to teach you. When you return, I'll make the best sushi you've ever eaten. I promise.)_

I wanted to cry.

After today's horrific debacle with Hibari (I think that's what Reborn called him) it was nice to come home to an email from Ryuu.

Originally, I never had an email, but since I told aunt Maia I didn't trust the postal service, she bought Ryuu a computer to make it so that we wouldn't be forced to wait months to contact each other, like we originally would need to through handwritten letters. I opened up a new message to reply to him, and I wrote:

_Dear Ryuu,_

_My first day didn't go as well as I'd hoped. There's this boy two grades above me who's chairman of the 'Disciplinary Committee' and he gave me a week's detention for being late on the first day of school (which, by the way, is because Arashi's convinced me to enroll him in school here. It's relatively close to mine, so I'd be able to get to him quickly if the situation were to call for it, so don't worry. I think it'll be okay)._

_But anyway, I don't really want to think about school. Did you like the sketch I sent you? I drew it from the balcony in my room, so you could see the kind of view I have from here. Isn't it spectacular?_

_Also, you should get a new student! You're the best sensei in the world! You shouldn't deprive eager children from learning your amazing skills. Not to say the thought of you making sushi doesn't make me smile, though, because it does. I would love to taste your cooking. Can you see if you could come visit soon?_

_I miss you. :3_

_Reply soon._

_-Kiri_

I sent the email and left the room in a much better mood than I had when I'd walked in.

I'd called aunt Maia earlier and she said that she would hire a driver for us because she didn't want Arashi and I (more me than him) to be late to school again. She too, was appalled at the fact that I'd gotten a week's detention on the first day of school. It was so unreasonable!

The driver would drive Arashi back home alone since his school ended half an hour later than mine did, which was fine with me. I liked alone time.

Taking a glance at the clock in the corner of my room, I realized it was already a quarter to four in the afternoon, which meant that I really only had 15 minutes to myself. What could I do? I wondered.

Then I remembered my sketch. All that was left of it was the blank space in the center. I could finish it!

It was decided. That's what I would do.

I opened the drawer that had the sketch and picked a sleek lead pencil out of a cup full of pencils that was on the corner of my desk. I then closed my eyes, trying to relax and make my mind blank, picturing the parts of the sketch that I'd already drawn. The Cherry Blossom trees, the fluffy ball of a bird, the clear blue sky…

. . .

"Nee-chan! I'm home!" Arashi yelled from the bottom of the stairs, quickly trying to make his way up to my room. I blinked frantically after being knocked out of my trance, only to realize that my pencil wasn't in my hand. I'd finished the sketch.

"Nee-chan! 'Nee-chan! School was so much fun today! I made all these new friends! One was a girl, her name was- 'Nee-chan? Are you okay?"

No way. I couldn't believe this. I _refused_ to believe this.

In the formerly blank space of my sketch was _him_. The same man that had just given me the first detention I'd ever received in my life for the absolute dumbest reason I could possibly fathom.

Hibari. Of all the people...

I took the sketch and crumpled it up into a paper ball. Why on earth had _he_ been the one I had to draw?

"Nee-chan? Are you-"

"Arashi, I'm not in a good mood right now. Tell me about your school day at dinner, okay?" I said as I practically stormed out of the room.

What was wrong with me? Why was he in my head in the first place? Why did I draw him, leaning on a tree trunk smiling at me? Smiling! I'd never even seen him smile!

I flopped onto a bed in one of the guest rooms at the opposite end of the house from where my room was located. I needed to stop thinking. I needed to take a nap. I didn't want to think about him anymore.

. . .

_"Nee-chan… Nee-chan, wake up…"_

Someone was shaking me.

_"Nee-chan…"_

I opened one eye to the face of my brother.

"Nee-chan! You're awake!" he exclaimed smiling, taking a few steps away from the bed. "Someone's here to see you. He said his name was Taki, or something."

Taki? I didn't know a 'Taki.'

"Taki Yamoto, I think."

Yamoto? Did he mean Yamamoto?

Takeshi!

"Really?" I exclaimed, surprised. Arashi nodded.

"He's in the living room downstairs."

I immediately threw off the covers and ran to my room, quickly fixing my hair and making sure I looked presentable. I didn't want Takeshi to see drool on my face or anything.

Once I deemed myself ready to go, I made my way downstairs almost in the blink of an eye. When I peered from the edge of the archway into the living room and saw Takeshi just standing there looking at one of the paintings on the wall, I ran and jumped on his back.

"Whoa! Hey Kiki," he said, laughing at my brash choice of an entrance.

"Hi," I replied, smiling. "What are you doing here? Weren't we gonna meet up at 5 for the tutoring session? What time is it?"

"Five fifteen," he replied, laughing again.

"Oh. I see."

He put me down gently. "It's alright. I've just been talking to your brother. I never knew you used to meow in your sleep when you were little," he said, chuckling. I glared at Arashi, a light blush creeping its way onto my cheeks.

"Well, whatever. I'm gonna go get the math textbook, okay? Did you bring a paper and pencil?" I asked.

"Yep," Takeshi replied, pointing to the two objects on top of a coffee table a few feet away from me. I nodded and made my way upstairs.

When I came back down, I walked in on Takeshi chasing after my little brother. They were playing tag and Arashi was laughing. Actually laughing. I hadn't seen him laugh like that in a long time. I waited a few seconds.

"Okay, we can start now," I said, stopping the game.

Arashi groaned and Takeshi just laughed, ruffling his hair and telling him, "Don't worry. We could do this another time." Arashi smiled. It seemed Takeshi got along with everybody easily. He was such an easygoing person.

When Arashi left the room, I walked and sat down by the coffee table, Takeshi doing the same. Before I started the tutoring, I mumbled to him, "You really shouldn't play so much with him." He gave me a confused look.

"Why?"

I looked away. "Arashi's not… like other kids. He's sick. He has leukemia."

Takeshi's expression turned into one of shock, mixed with a little sympathy. I gave him a small smile, one that didn't quite reach my eyes. "Oh. I'm sorry," he said, looking at the direction Arashi walked off into. "He didn't look sick."

I shrugged. "I give him treatments. Remember when I went to the pharmacy the other day? I was getting his medicine. It keeps the sickness at bay. It's just that… physical activities like tag or sports make him get exhausted quickly, and when he gets exhausted, his body isn't as strong and he could get infections easier, so I usually don't let him play like that."

"Yeah, it's okay, I won't play with him again," Takeshi said, nodding as a way to reassure me, but I shook my head.

"It's okay, you can play with him, but just don't do it often." I smiled at Takeshi. "He laughed today in a way I haven't heard in a long time. You can play with him again. Just not always, okay?"

Takeshi nodded, and then we finally began our tutoring.

. . .

"Thanks Kiki! You really know how to teach!" Takeshi yelled from the street, just about to get into his dad's car. I smiled.

"Come back anytime!"

"I will!" he replied, as he slid in and closed the door. Seconds later, his dad was driving away and I was alone. I walked back into the house.

What time is it? I wondered, skimming the room for a clock. When my eyes landed on one, it read 6:50. My eyes widened. My detention started at seven! I only had ten minutes to get to school! I ran upstairs.

When I walked into my room, I looked around and grabbed my cell phone, dialing the number of the personal driver aunt Maia had hired.

"Hello?" a voice on the other line said.

"Hi, it's Kizumi-san, could you please come back and drive me to school? I have detention at seven and I just remembered about it now." The driver agreed and said he was on his way. In about five minutes, he was already outside honking.

I ran outside and into the car, hoping that I wouldn't be late. He was going to try to "bite me to death" if I was late. I'd learned my lesson the first time.

When I arrived, I looked at the clock on my cell phone. It read 7:02. I nearly cried.

I said thank you to the driver and ran into the school, only to find Hibari already there, glaring. I averted my eyes to the floor and muttered, "I'm sorry I'm late, I just forgot -"

"Detention, next week. Don't be late again."

I gasped. "But I was only late by two minutes! Can't you just add another day? Not the whole week, please!"

"Shut up or I'll bite you to death," he threatened, lifting his tonfa with a sadistic look on his face. I glared at him.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?"

He pointed to a room at the end of the hall and said, "Get the supplies, and mop the hallways. Every floor. When you finish, you can leave. If you leave prior to finishing, you get an additional week of detention."

My jaw dropped. He had to be joking. This was a huge school with three floors. He could not expect me to mop them all in one night.

He walked away, not saying anything else. So he _was_ serious. I couldn't believe this.

. . .

Just as I finished with the first floor, my cell phone vibrated. It was telling me that I got a new email. I'll check it when I get home, I thought, putting my phone back into my pocket. I stopped when I caught a glimpse of the time. 8:45pm. It was almost nine and I had only finished the first floor! I scoffed. There was no way I was staying here all night. I was not going to leave Arashi home alone.

I put the cleaning supplies back and walked upstairs to the Reception Room, where I presumed Hibari would be. When I opened the door, my presumption was proven to be correct. Hibari was in the room sitting as his desk, looking through a pile of paperwork. At my entrance, he glanced up at me.

"I finished the first floor, but it's getting late. I'll stay after school and finish the rest tomorrow, okay?" I asked, turning to leave. before I was able to, however, he spoke.

"If you leave, you have another week's detention."

I sighed. Why did he have to be so cruel? I turned around. "Is there anything I can do so that I can leave now and not get another detention?" I asked. He smirked.

He stood up and said, "Fight me." I quirked an eyebrow. Was that all?

"Fine," I said, walking out. He followed suit until we got outside, and at the first chance he got, he hit me. Straight at the center of my back. No warning, no nothing. I fell to the floor.

Before he hit me again, I rolled and got up, shooting him a look of disbelief. Did he really just hit a girl when she wasn't looking? He smirked. I ran at him, blocking his attacks and trying to hit him myself, being just as unsuccessful as he was at hitting me. He was really skilled. I couldn't even take any of his tonfa this time. He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. The fight continued. I kicked, he blocked, he punched, I dodged, etc. This was never going to end.

At least, that's what I thought until my back hit the school wall. When I looked at him, he was smirking again. Almost mocking me. I glared. He'd been able to have me walking backward without me even realizing it. Now I was trapped. Great. How was I going to get out of this?

Then an idea popped into my head. It was completely unorthodox, and I would probably be punished for it, but if I were to do it, I could run. I could go home. I weighed my options. Beaten to a pulp or home free? The decision wasn't that hard.

So, in one swift motion, I looked up at his face, grabbed onto his jacket and bit his neck. Hard.

His surprise bought me enough time to push him out of the way and run. Run out of the entrance to the school and as far down the road as I could. When I looked back five minutes later, there was no one, and I was alone. I was free. I sighed.

Tomorrow was going to suck.


End file.
